Weekly Progress Report!

Here's a belated report on what I've been up to in the last week and a half! My goal was to tackle this pile (literally!) of projects that were next to my sewing machine:

I did tackle the pile, but in the process, I was also inspired to tackle my entire sewing area! Here is what it looks like now (sorry for the dark photo!).

The room itself is very small (8 x 10), and previously, I had been sewing on a table that was 2.5 x 3 feet. It took up quite a bit of space in the room, and most of the space behind my sewing machine was not useful since the table butted up against the window. I finally decided to install the desktop piece I had purchased months ago from Michael's (all of my storage cubes are from their Recollections scrapbook storage collection). With the new configuration, I have much more accessible workspace, and additional floor space so I don't feel cramped! The piece in front of the left side is actually a rolling storage cart, so it gives me a nice work triangle, but I can easily move it out of the way.

So, now on to the projects that were in the pile! First, I completed a recent WIP -- this is Thimbleblossoms' Jellybean pattern in Persimmon fabric by Basic Grey:

Secondly, I finished a full-size patchwork quilt in my long-hoarded California Girl fabrics by Fig Tree Quilts. This will be a new quilt for our bedroom!

The third project is a special quilt re-make for a friend of mine. I had previously done some repairs to a quilt that was made by his mother, but over the past two years, additional blocks had ripped, so I decided to deconstruct the top, replace some blocks and all of the sashing, and put it back together.

Some of the original blocks were pretty wild, so when I replaced a few of them in the previous repair, I had fun including some novelty prints that were meaningful to him. This time, I had to replace 11 additional blocks, so I put in a few more novely prints.

I also started a knitting project this week. I've known how to knit for a while, but I could never figure out how to purl -- until this week! (Thank you, youtube). I'm working on a pretty basic shawl. It's got a few imperfections, but overall, it's coming along.

So now that I've tackled the sewing room, I'll be returning to my goal of working through my fabric storage drawers. Next week: Dr. Seuss fabrics!

 

 

New Year's Quilty Resolution, Day 2

I'm starting off 2014 with a series of blog posts on my Quilty Resolutions. Hopefully, putting them in cyberspace will make me more likely to stick with them!

Anyone who has virtually visited my sewing room (to take a tour of my tiny, but functional space, see this post) knows that one of my favorite storage items are these cube drawers from Michaels:

I purchased the cubes 2 or 3 at a time (on sale or with a coupon) over a period of several months, and eventually built this 4 x 4 structure. Although I would love to purchase more and add on, I am at the point of maximum capacity in my current sewing space.

I absolutely love the way fat quarters, jelly rolls, and charm packs fit perfectly in the drawers. It is so easy to see what I have on hand, and very easy to return fabrics to their proper storage!

I have labeled the drawers with the names of either designers or fabric collections for sorting purposes.

So, on to the resolution part: my fabric stash has exceeded drawer capacity, so it is time to start going through the drawers and make some quilts out of what I already own, so that I can free up some space for the fabrics under my sewing table!

Quilty Resolution # 2: "sew" my way through some fabric drawers to make room for new fabrics (and at the same time, try to cut down on what I add to the stash!)

 

New Year's Quilty Resolution # 1

Happy New Year!

Since my Twenty-Five Days of Quilts blog post challenge seemed to be such a great motivator for me to power through and finish things, I thought I would try a series of Quilty Resolutions. Hopefully, I'll be more inclined to follow through if they are etched in cyberspace!

Resolution # 1: Package Finished Quilts:

Before I mail out a completed quilt to an Etsy customer, I wash it, package it up in a simple fabric bag (made from muslin or sheets I buy on clearance!), tie it with a scrap of fabric, and attach a tag with wash/care instructions. I also enclose a matching Kleenex fabric holder as a little gift.

I have a great shelving unit from Sam's that I use to store all the completed quilts in Priority mail boxes (most of my quilts are mailed in medium flat rate, or regional rate, boxes. When they are packaged and ready to go, they store beautifully, remain dust free, and are ready to ship as soon as an order comes in. Since I work full time, I love having the boxes ready to go -- I can print out a label in the morning, and take it with me to mail from work. I keep a numbered list of quilts and boxes so it is easy to find the one I need.

Unfortunately, I like quilting more than packaging, so this is usually what happens -- most of the quilts end up in boxes on the shelf, but without all the packaging details! So, my first Quilty Resolution of 2014 is to package one quilt each day until I catch up, and then to try to maintain the system by packaging up quilts as soon as I take photos and list them!